The Nintendo Switch will go down as one of the most successful consoles of all time. The hybrid handheld and console system boasts a fantastic library of modern gaming franchises. It also offers one of the best catalogues of old games, and retro inspired games.
From the Nintendo Switch Online service that includes Nintendo NES, Super Nintendo and Game Boy games, and it’s Expansion pack that includes Gameboy Advance and Nintendo 64.
Then you have the Gamecube remakes including Tales Of Symphonia, Metroid Prime Remastered, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life and Pikmin 1+2.
Some great retro collections include the Tomb Raider remakes, quite a few 90s and 2000s Star Wars games, the Mega Drive collection, Contra Anniversary Collection, Namco Museum, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy or the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection.

The Switch 2 has arrived, and thankfully, it is backwards compatible with nearly all old Switch games, and all the Nintendo Switch Online retro games.

The New Pro Controller

Nintendo consoles, dating back to the NES and Gameboy, have always had amazing D-pads. However, I always found the first Pro Controller for the first Nintendo Switch to be incredibly average. This time, Nintendo have improved the touch and feel of the D-pad. It is much better, especially when playing retro games. The modern and updated HD rumble is a welcomed upgrade. The vibration was always too weak on the first Switch controllers. This is especially noticeable if you compare it to a Rumble Pak on a Nintendo 64. The Pro Controller is not included with the console.

Upgrade to Nintendo 64 games

The Switch 2 supports all the same systems as the first Switch. You gain access to the retro catalogue through the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The standard subscription of NSO is $6 a month, or $30a a year. The main selling feature of the NSO subscription is the ability to play online. One of the added perks is access to a library of old-school games to play.

Included in the subscription on the first Switch is access to NES, Super Nintendo and Game Boy games. For an additional fee, you can get the Expansion pass. This also lets you play GameBoy Advance and Nintendo 64 games. This subscription is available yearly for $60au.

With the Nintendo Switch 2, they have upgraded the Nintendo 64 emulation. The extra power of the Switch 2 provides the option to rewind games. Another feature of the Switch 2 is the CRT filters. For some games, these filters do make them look better. This is especially true for dodgy early Nintendo 64 games, especially text in games that is not upscaled.

Gamecube Games

With the extra power of the Switch 2, Nintendo is also offering Nintendo GameCube games. Now I’m not sure how many people in Australia will be interested in this. The GameCube was a massive failure here.
I have a soft spot for the GameCube. I had stopped gaming around the early 2000s. However, I picked one up for cheap for $99 while Nintendo Australia were struggling for sales. I found the simple, back-to-basics games more fun than some of the serious stuff on the PlayStation 2, epeciaky for quick sessions. I also loved playing multiplayer games with my siblings during this time period.
Sadly, GameCube games are part of the Expansion subscription of Nintendo Switch Online. You need to pay $60 a year to play them.

For the launch of the Switch 2, I also made sure to pick up a Gamecube controller from Nintendo. This thing is not cheap and costs $90.
It comes in the standard purple Gamecube colour. .
The controller itself feels just like the original controller. It has a few extra buttons at the top that support the Nintendo Switch operating system. These include the Home, Capture, and Chat button functions. There is also a tiny little ZL shoulder button added, and gryo for modern games
The beauty of this controller is that it is Bluetooth, wireless and rechargeable too. I do have a Wavebird controller somewhere. It was the first official wireless Nintendo controller. It had a slightly different design because it used AA batteries. The GameCube was the first console I ever had a wireless controller for. It was a game-changer for me.
I have better Gamecube controllers, with bigger dpads, such as one made by Retro Fighters, but sadly it does not work with the Switch 2 at launch.
Another negative is that there is ONLY 3 games at launch, and they are Zelda Windwaker, F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur 2.

The Switch 2 Camera, bringing back Eye Toy or Kinect?

Now I do not have a camera yet, as no launch games support it properly yet. However, I am getting some serious late 2000s vibes from this thing. Nintendo never really got into the camera stuff on their consoles in the 2000’s, but Sony and Microsoft did!
From the very successful Eye Toy on the Playstation 2, to the Xbox 360 Camera and later Kinnect, this camera is giving console gaming vibes that date back to the 2000’s, and I am very interested to see if Online gaming with cameras makes a comeback. Did anyone ever play Uno with a Camera on Xbox Live on a Xbox 360, that made for interesting times! It will be interesting to see if we get more motion based games, such as the upgrade to Super Mario Party Jamboree that is coming soon, that is giving some serious Eye Toy vibes!.
Buy there camera here
https://amzn.to/45eMBwo

Bad Third Party Controller Support

The major negative for me with the Switch 2 is that Nintendo have locked out many third party Switch 1 controllers, including major brand 8bitDo, and others including Retrobit and Retro Fighers that make some really good retro inspired controllers. Neither my 8bitdo SNES SFC30 Pro controller, or my Retro Fighters BattlerGC Pro 2 Wireless Controller work at launch, however these companies are trying to work on fixes. This locks out a lot of cool retro inspired controllers sadly at launch.

The Bitdo Ultimate controllers have been updated https://amzn.to/45eMBwo

Recommend for Retro Gaming?

It depends. If you have the technical know-how, a Steam Deck is a much better option. The base model of the Steam Deck is only $50 cheaper than the Switch 2. These days, it is officially available in Australia. Things like EmuDeck make it pretty simple to get started playing retro games on a Steam Deck too!

The fantastic China-made portable devices are also noteworthy. Companies like Anbernic manufacture these devices. They are pretty simple to use and come loaded with hundreds of games, and relatively easy to add more games. They are also really good quality these days, with good screens and high quality pads and buttons.

High end Chinese portable game machines can be picked up for half the price of the Switch 2. They are becoming more powerful. They have the ability to play GameCube and even some PS2 games (and any console before this). These can be picked up for around $300 Australian including postage.

The Switch 2 does not provide the lower latency emulation that something like a Mister FPGA does with a combined high-end gaming monitor or OLED TV.

If you are an old school NES or SNES gamer, a Mister FPGA or high end PC/Steamdeck running Retroarch with Run Ahead would be a better option. You can pick up Mini PC’s that support this for less than $500. A Mister PI FPGA console is available for under $350au. This is for hardcore gamers serious about latency in old school games, and FPGA emulation (chip emulation) makes a huge difference!

Buy the 406v here
https://amzn.to/45eMBwo

Final Verdict

If you are terrible with computers, the Nintendo Switch 2 is a fantastic option. If you have moral issues with illegal ROMs and unofficial emulators, the Switch 2 is a great official way to play GameCube games. The ability to rewind Nintendo 64 and add CRT filters is also a great option.
There are better and cheaper ways to play Nintendo 64 and Gamecube games. In addition, something like Steam Deck will also play many modern AAA games. It can run games that Switch 2 can also do, such as Cyberpunk 2077.

The Nintendo 64 and GameCube emulation is great on the Switch 2. Additionally, the ability to rewind hard Nintendo 64 games is a welcomed feature.

For $699, there are better and more affordable options for Retro Gaming. This is despite the upgrades to the N64 NSO and Gamecube. Keep in mind Gamecube emulation is very mature on PC with the Dolphin emulator, as is Nintendo 64 and is more accurate than Nintendos consoles.
The Mister FPGA systems can also very accurately emulate the N64 with no lag at all on modern and old TVs.

I am interested to see where Nintendo take the Camera however with the Switch 2, and if we will see an Eye Toy like comeback.